A political showdown is playing out in Gombe State as a support group loyal to Isa Pantami has rejected the consensus arrangement adopted by the All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2027 elections.
The Pantamiyya Movement, in a strongly worded statement, described the process that produced Jamilu Gwamna as the party’s consensus governorship candidate as unlawful and in violation of established guidelines.
The APC in the state had earlier announced Gwamna’s emergence following a high-level stakeholders’ meeting led by Governor Inuwa Yahaya, where consensus candidates were also adopted for senatorial, House of Representatives, and State Assembly positions.
According to the state government, the move was aimed at fostering unity, reducing internal conflict, and presenting a strong front ahead of the elections.
But Pantami’s loyalists are not having it.
Reacting via a statement posted on his official X page, the group insisted the arrangement contradicts both the law and directives from the party’s national leadership.
“While Professor Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, CON was in Abuja today evening, we heard about the emergence of a coronation which is called a ‘consensus’ for all the elective positions in Gombe State,” the statement, signed by Suleiman Mohammed, reads.
The group argued that a valid consensus can only occur when all aspirants willingly step down and give written consent, something they claim did not happen.
Citing the Electoral Act 2026, the movement maintained that only two legitimate methods exist for candidate selection, warning that what transpired in Gombe does not qualify as either.
They explained that where consensus fails, the party must conduct direct primaries, allowing all registered members to vote.
Despite the rising tension, the group called for calm among supporters, assuring them that legal steps are already being taken to challenge the development.
